This article explores how descendants of immigrants in Sweden understand labor market conditions,... more This article explores how descendants of immigrants in Sweden understand labor market conditions, and how such understandings influence their occupational strategies. We interviewed 21 Sweden-born individuals with non-Western immigrant parents, and identified three strategies based on our analysis of the data: ‘choosing’ the right job, adapting the habitus, and using cultural capital in flexible ways. The first strategy covers interviewees working in jobs with labor shortages and/or high demand for employees with immigrant background. The second covers interviewees who could learn through failing, with substantial resilience and persistence. The third deals with interviewees who searched for jobs in branches that valued their particular skill set, entailing the importance of being flexible on the labor market
This study used qualitative interviews to explore perceptions of labour market participation in r... more This study used qualitative interviews to explore perceptions of labour market participation in relation to gender norms and parenting ideals among employed Swedish men and women of migrant descent. Using an abductive thematic approach, we demonstrate how the respondents viewed labour market participation from different perspectives. The females saw it as a source of emancipation, whereas the men primarily viewed it as a means of providing for a current/future family. While our respondents depicted themselves as dedicated to social norms of gender equality, they expressed gender-biased views on work and family. The respondents' immigrant heritage also influenced their views on labour market participation, gender and family. Gender inequalities in the parental generation motivated them to arrange their work and family lives differently, and the Swedish social and political context offered them incentives and opportunities to be more gender-equal than their parents. We view and analyse these findings from a life course-perspective, showing how cultural and contextual influences affect respondents' perspectives on work and family arrangements. RÉSUMÉ Cette enquête s'appuie sur des entretiens qualitatifs afin d'explorer les liens entre la perception de la participation au marché du travail et les normes de genre et idéaux de parentalité chez les actifs et actives suédois issu.e.s de l'immigration. Mobilisant une approche abductive et thématique, nous démontrons quelles sont les représentations de nos répondant.e.s sur la participation au marché du travail selon différentes perspectives. Tandis que les femmes y voyaient une source d'émancipation, les hommes la considéraient avant tout comme un moyen de provenir à leur famille, présente ou à venir. Alors que nos enquêté.e.s se décrivaient comme engagé.e.s en faveur des normes d'égalité de genre, ils et elles ont exprimé des visions genré.e.s sur le travail et la famille. Leur héritage lié à l'immigration a aussi influencé leurs représentations de la participation au marché du travail, du genre et de la famille. Les ARTICLE HISTORY
The main purpose of this article is to examine how elite athletes perceive their own responsibili... more The main purpose of this article is to examine how elite athletes perceive their own responsibilities and possibilities to be compliant with the anti-doping regulations, and to draw conclusions about what these perceptions mean in relation to the legitimacy of the anti-doping system. A qualitative research design, with interviews conducted with athletes globally, was employed to capture elite sportspersons' views on anti-doping policy and procedures. The analysis was based on a theoretical framework on legitimacy. The findings show that athletes' situation is characterized by limited information and a lack of leeway. At the same time, athletes find themselves obliged to be dutiful. We discuss the complex situation of simultaneously facing perceived limitations and duties, and consider the limits that athletes experience in relation to compliance, which may place the legitimacy of the anti-doping system at risk.
The aim of this study was to examine how employed descendants of immigrants in Sweden perceive th... more The aim of this study was to examine how employed descendants of immigrants in Sweden perceive that interactions with public officials have benefitted their occupational aspirations and attainments. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with twelve female and nine male descendants of immigrants, followed by an abductive thematic analysis. Applying a theoretical framework of social capital, we found three main influences of public officials from respondents' perspectives: 1) connectedness, 2) supporting personal goals and focusing on possibilities, and 3) mediation of knowledge and information. We discuss and analyse the symbolic resources deriving from these influences, e.g. increased motivation and self-belief, and conceptualize these resources as social capital contributing to the occupational aspirations and attainments of immigrants' descendants.
Second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) effects can be observed in materials with noncentro symmetri... more Second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) effects can be observed in materials with noncentro symmetric structures. In order to achieve such structure in the initially isotropic-doped polymer films, they were aligned in an electric field during heating up to the glass transition temperature. In this experimental work, we studied the NLO thin film properties of azo dye as guest molecules oriented in a polymer host by corona-onset poling. Also, the orientational order of nonlinear molecules is measured. We have shown that corona-onset poling at elevated temperature (COPET) is effective in orienting optically nonlinear guest molecules in a host polymer.
This article highlights organizational structure as a factor influencing conditions for helping r... more This article highlights organizational structure as a factor influencing conditions for helping relations. It is based on a survey study and an interview study, both directed at parents in families that have parallel contacts in different parts of Swedish personal social services (PSS). The aim is to describe and analyse conditions for helping relations when clients with complex needs encounter specialized PSS. Low system trust, people processing dimensions of work, and an organizational and a professional emphasis on formal organizational structures and boundaries were found to constitute unfavourable conditions. Conversely, an occurrence of individual trust, people sustaining and people changing dimensions of work, as well as informal organization and individual social workers' boundary spanning efforts, constituted favourable conditions. The article concludes that greater understanding of how clients are affected by contextual service conditions can give some pointers towards how to generally improve services for vulnerable and disadvantaged populations.
In this article, we examine family influences on occupational aspirations among employed descenda... more In this article, we examine family influences on occupational aspirations among employed descendants of Middle Eastern immigrants. Using a qualitative approach, we conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with native-born descendants of Middle Eastern immigrants. We present and analyse their interpretations of their parents’ experiences and living conditions before, during and after migration and demonstrate how these interpretations shaped their own occupational aspirations. We discuss parents’ high expectations of their children in relation to ethnic-community valuations of educational and occupational achievements. These high expectations may increase the chances of social mobility but can also become a negative pressure, especially if parents set high standards but cannot help their children to meet those expectations. In these cases, older siblings who possess valuable knowledge of the educational system and labour market can function as important transferrers of resources.
The present article is based on an international study on meaningmaking coping aimed at understan... more The present article is based on an international study on meaningmaking coping aimed at understanding the role of culture in coping. The larger study has been conducted among cancer patients in 10 countries. The present article is confined to the results obtained in our study in Iran and restricted to religious coping methods. Twenty-seven participants with various kinds of cancer were interviewed. The several religious coping methods found in the present study are categorised on the basis of RCOPE's five basic religious functions. The study reveals, among others, the impact of cultural beliefs on certain religious coping methods, even among those who are not regarded as practicing Muslims. The study highlights the importance of investigating cultural and social context when exploring the use of the meaning-making coping strategies in different countries.
The present paper looks at the influence of culture on Turkish cancer patients' use of meanin... more The present paper looks at the influence of culture on Turkish cancer patients' use of meaning-making coping, paying particular attention to religious, spiritual, and existential coping methods. Data were collected using an interview study (n = 25, 18 women, age range 20-71). Individuals were recruited at an oncology center and a psychiatry clinic in Istanbul. The main focus of the study has been on existential meaning-making coping, which is characterized by finding power inside oneself, altruism, family love, a search for meaning by contemplating philosophical issues, and having a positive life perspective (shukran-thankfulness). In contrast to findings from similar studies conducted in other countries (studies included in the same project), in Turkey religious belief directly determines the coping methods used, including the non-religious methods.
The present study compared meaning-making coping among cancer patients in Sweden and South Korea,... more The present study compared meaning-making coping among cancer patients in Sweden and South Korea, with a focus on the sociocultural context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 Swedes and 33 Koreans. The results showed significant differences between the two countries as well as similarities in existential, spiritual, and religious coping. For example, Swedes primarily used meaning-making coping as a means of meditation or relaxation, whereas Koreans relied on coping with prayer and using healthy foods as a means to survive. The present study confirms the significance of investigating cultural context when we explore the use of meaning-making coping among people who have experienced cancer.
In the present article, based on results from a survey study in Sweden among 2,355 cancer patient... more In the present article, based on results from a survey study in Sweden among 2,355 cancer patients, the role of religion in coping is discussed. The survey study, in turn, was based on earlier findings from a qualitative study of cancer patients in Sweden. The purpose of the present survey study was to determine to what extent results obtained in the qualitative study can be applied to a wider population of cancer patients in Sweden. The present study shows that use of religious coping methods is infrequent among cancer patients in Sweden. Besides the two methods that are ranked in 12th and 13th place, that is, in the middle (Listening to religious music and Praying to God to make things better), the other religious coping methods receive the lowest rankings, showing how nonsignificant such methods are in coping with cancer in Sweden. However, the question of who turns to God and who is self-reliant in a critical situation is too complicated to be resolved solely in terms of the str...
Page 1. Asylsökande barn med uppgiven hetssymtom -trauma, kultur, asylprocess RAPPORT FRAN DEN NA... more Page 1. Asylsökande barn med uppgiven hetssymtom -trauma, kultur, asylprocess RAPPORT FRAN DEN NATIONELLA SAMORDNAREN FOR BARN I ASYLPROCESSEN MED UPPGIVENHETSSYMTOM STATENS OFFENTLIGA UTREDNINGAR SOU 2006:49 Page 2. Page ...
Research in the field of human services has paid limited attention to the consequences of the int... more Research in the field of human services has paid limited attention to the consequences of the international development toward organisational specialisation; the consequences for clients have been overlooked in particular. The aim of the article is to describe and analyse the consequences of organizationally specialised personal social services (PSS) in Sweden for clients with complex needs. Findings from a survey and an interview study addressing PSS clients show that clients primarily perceived their encounters with the specialised PSS negatively, and that they experienced several elements of service fragmentation. Implications of the findings are discussed in light of previous research and theory in the area.
International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health, 2015
Available research has found that being physically active might be important to improve overall h... more Available research has found that being physically active might be important to improve overall health, as it can help in preventing adverse health outcomes and chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and depression. [1,2] As a result of the economic downturn and recession, which started in the autumn of 2008, many countries started
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 8-week endurance and resistan... more Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 8-week endurance and resistance exercise training on release of brain natriuretic peptide. Materials and Methods: Study population was categorized into 4 groups: Group-1 (n = 6) consisted of sedentary individuals who volunteered to complete 8-weeks of endurance exercise; Group-2 (n=6) consisted of sedentary individuals who volunteered to complete 8-weaks of resistance exercise. Three blood samples [for Terminal pro BNP (NT-Pro-BNP)] were taken before, immediately after exercise and after 8 weeks of exercise training. Results: NT-Pro BNP was significantly increased immediately after endurance exercise [from 37.9 ± 1.4 pg/ml to 52.1 ±1.5 pg/ml; P = 0.002] and was decreased to 23.2 ± 9.3 pg/ml after 8 weeks of endurance exercise [P = 0.013]. On the other hand, NT-Pro BNP showed no significant changes immediately after resistance exercise [from 26.6 ± 4.9 pg/ml to 24.1 ±4.5 pg/ml; P = 0.553]. In contrast, NT-Pro BNP was significantly increased to 39.5 ±1.6 pg/ml after 8 weeks of resistance exercise [P = 0.012]. Conclusion: Endurance exercise training reduces circulating NT-Pro BNP concentration, which is likely a marker of reduced ventricular wall tension and improved myocardial function. In contrast, strength exercise induces significant increase in NT-Pro BNP, which could be partially attributed to myocardial damage.
This article explores how descendants of immigrants in Sweden understand labor market conditions,... more This article explores how descendants of immigrants in Sweden understand labor market conditions, and how such understandings influence their occupational strategies. We interviewed 21 Sweden-born individuals with non-Western immigrant parents, and identified three strategies based on our analysis of the data: ‘choosing’ the right job, adapting the habitus, and using cultural capital in flexible ways. The first strategy covers interviewees working in jobs with labor shortages and/or high demand for employees with immigrant background. The second covers interviewees who could learn through failing, with substantial resilience and persistence. The third deals with interviewees who searched for jobs in branches that valued their particular skill set, entailing the importance of being flexible on the labor market
This study used qualitative interviews to explore perceptions of labour market participation in r... more This study used qualitative interviews to explore perceptions of labour market participation in relation to gender norms and parenting ideals among employed Swedish men and women of migrant descent. Using an abductive thematic approach, we demonstrate how the respondents viewed labour market participation from different perspectives. The females saw it as a source of emancipation, whereas the men primarily viewed it as a means of providing for a current/future family. While our respondents depicted themselves as dedicated to social norms of gender equality, they expressed gender-biased views on work and family. The respondents' immigrant heritage also influenced their views on labour market participation, gender and family. Gender inequalities in the parental generation motivated them to arrange their work and family lives differently, and the Swedish social and political context offered them incentives and opportunities to be more gender-equal than their parents. We view and analyse these findings from a life course-perspective, showing how cultural and contextual influences affect respondents' perspectives on work and family arrangements. RÉSUMÉ Cette enquête s'appuie sur des entretiens qualitatifs afin d'explorer les liens entre la perception de la participation au marché du travail et les normes de genre et idéaux de parentalité chez les actifs et actives suédois issu.e.s de l'immigration. Mobilisant une approche abductive et thématique, nous démontrons quelles sont les représentations de nos répondant.e.s sur la participation au marché du travail selon différentes perspectives. Tandis que les femmes y voyaient une source d'émancipation, les hommes la considéraient avant tout comme un moyen de provenir à leur famille, présente ou à venir. Alors que nos enquêté.e.s se décrivaient comme engagé.e.s en faveur des normes d'égalité de genre, ils et elles ont exprimé des visions genré.e.s sur le travail et la famille. Leur héritage lié à l'immigration a aussi influencé leurs représentations de la participation au marché du travail, du genre et de la famille. Les ARTICLE HISTORY
The main purpose of this article is to examine how elite athletes perceive their own responsibili... more The main purpose of this article is to examine how elite athletes perceive their own responsibilities and possibilities to be compliant with the anti-doping regulations, and to draw conclusions about what these perceptions mean in relation to the legitimacy of the anti-doping system. A qualitative research design, with interviews conducted with athletes globally, was employed to capture elite sportspersons' views on anti-doping policy and procedures. The analysis was based on a theoretical framework on legitimacy. The findings show that athletes' situation is characterized by limited information and a lack of leeway. At the same time, athletes find themselves obliged to be dutiful. We discuss the complex situation of simultaneously facing perceived limitations and duties, and consider the limits that athletes experience in relation to compliance, which may place the legitimacy of the anti-doping system at risk.
The aim of this study was to examine how employed descendants of immigrants in Sweden perceive th... more The aim of this study was to examine how employed descendants of immigrants in Sweden perceive that interactions with public officials have benefitted their occupational aspirations and attainments. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with twelve female and nine male descendants of immigrants, followed by an abductive thematic analysis. Applying a theoretical framework of social capital, we found three main influences of public officials from respondents' perspectives: 1) connectedness, 2) supporting personal goals and focusing on possibilities, and 3) mediation of knowledge and information. We discuss and analyse the symbolic resources deriving from these influences, e.g. increased motivation and self-belief, and conceptualize these resources as social capital contributing to the occupational aspirations and attainments of immigrants' descendants.
Second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) effects can be observed in materials with noncentro symmetri... more Second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) effects can be observed in materials with noncentro symmetric structures. In order to achieve such structure in the initially isotropic-doped polymer films, they were aligned in an electric field during heating up to the glass transition temperature. In this experimental work, we studied the NLO thin film properties of azo dye as guest molecules oriented in a polymer host by corona-onset poling. Also, the orientational order of nonlinear molecules is measured. We have shown that corona-onset poling at elevated temperature (COPET) is effective in orienting optically nonlinear guest molecules in a host polymer.
This article highlights organizational structure as a factor influencing conditions for helping r... more This article highlights organizational structure as a factor influencing conditions for helping relations. It is based on a survey study and an interview study, both directed at parents in families that have parallel contacts in different parts of Swedish personal social services (PSS). The aim is to describe and analyse conditions for helping relations when clients with complex needs encounter specialized PSS. Low system trust, people processing dimensions of work, and an organizational and a professional emphasis on formal organizational structures and boundaries were found to constitute unfavourable conditions. Conversely, an occurrence of individual trust, people sustaining and people changing dimensions of work, as well as informal organization and individual social workers' boundary spanning efforts, constituted favourable conditions. The article concludes that greater understanding of how clients are affected by contextual service conditions can give some pointers towards how to generally improve services for vulnerable and disadvantaged populations.
In this article, we examine family influences on occupational aspirations among employed descenda... more In this article, we examine family influences on occupational aspirations among employed descendants of Middle Eastern immigrants. Using a qualitative approach, we conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with native-born descendants of Middle Eastern immigrants. We present and analyse their interpretations of their parents’ experiences and living conditions before, during and after migration and demonstrate how these interpretations shaped their own occupational aspirations. We discuss parents’ high expectations of their children in relation to ethnic-community valuations of educational and occupational achievements. These high expectations may increase the chances of social mobility but can also become a negative pressure, especially if parents set high standards but cannot help their children to meet those expectations. In these cases, older siblings who possess valuable knowledge of the educational system and labour market can function as important transferrers of resources.
The present article is based on an international study on meaningmaking coping aimed at understan... more The present article is based on an international study on meaningmaking coping aimed at understanding the role of culture in coping. The larger study has been conducted among cancer patients in 10 countries. The present article is confined to the results obtained in our study in Iran and restricted to religious coping methods. Twenty-seven participants with various kinds of cancer were interviewed. The several religious coping methods found in the present study are categorised on the basis of RCOPE's five basic religious functions. The study reveals, among others, the impact of cultural beliefs on certain religious coping methods, even among those who are not regarded as practicing Muslims. The study highlights the importance of investigating cultural and social context when exploring the use of the meaning-making coping strategies in different countries.
The present paper looks at the influence of culture on Turkish cancer patients' use of meanin... more The present paper looks at the influence of culture on Turkish cancer patients' use of meaning-making coping, paying particular attention to religious, spiritual, and existential coping methods. Data were collected using an interview study (n = 25, 18 women, age range 20-71). Individuals were recruited at an oncology center and a psychiatry clinic in Istanbul. The main focus of the study has been on existential meaning-making coping, which is characterized by finding power inside oneself, altruism, family love, a search for meaning by contemplating philosophical issues, and having a positive life perspective (shukran-thankfulness). In contrast to findings from similar studies conducted in other countries (studies included in the same project), in Turkey religious belief directly determines the coping methods used, including the non-religious methods.
The present study compared meaning-making coping among cancer patients in Sweden and South Korea,... more The present study compared meaning-making coping among cancer patients in Sweden and South Korea, with a focus on the sociocultural context. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 51 Swedes and 33 Koreans. The results showed significant differences between the two countries as well as similarities in existential, spiritual, and religious coping. For example, Swedes primarily used meaning-making coping as a means of meditation or relaxation, whereas Koreans relied on coping with prayer and using healthy foods as a means to survive. The present study confirms the significance of investigating cultural context when we explore the use of meaning-making coping among people who have experienced cancer.
In the present article, based on results from a survey study in Sweden among 2,355 cancer patient... more In the present article, based on results from a survey study in Sweden among 2,355 cancer patients, the role of religion in coping is discussed. The survey study, in turn, was based on earlier findings from a qualitative study of cancer patients in Sweden. The purpose of the present survey study was to determine to what extent results obtained in the qualitative study can be applied to a wider population of cancer patients in Sweden. The present study shows that use of religious coping methods is infrequent among cancer patients in Sweden. Besides the two methods that are ranked in 12th and 13th place, that is, in the middle (Listening to religious music and Praying to God to make things better), the other religious coping methods receive the lowest rankings, showing how nonsignificant such methods are in coping with cancer in Sweden. However, the question of who turns to God and who is self-reliant in a critical situation is too complicated to be resolved solely in terms of the str...
Page 1. Asylsökande barn med uppgiven hetssymtom -trauma, kultur, asylprocess RAPPORT FRAN DEN NA... more Page 1. Asylsökande barn med uppgiven hetssymtom -trauma, kultur, asylprocess RAPPORT FRAN DEN NATIONELLA SAMORDNAREN FOR BARN I ASYLPROCESSEN MED UPPGIVENHETSSYMTOM STATENS OFFENTLIGA UTREDNINGAR SOU 2006:49 Page 2. Page ...
Research in the field of human services has paid limited attention to the consequences of the int... more Research in the field of human services has paid limited attention to the consequences of the international development toward organisational specialisation; the consequences for clients have been overlooked in particular. The aim of the article is to describe and analyse the consequences of organizationally specialised personal social services (PSS) in Sweden for clients with complex needs. Findings from a survey and an interview study addressing PSS clients show that clients primarily perceived their encounters with the specialised PSS negatively, and that they experienced several elements of service fragmentation. Implications of the findings are discussed in light of previous research and theory in the area.
International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health, 2015
Available research has found that being physically active might be important to improve overall h... more Available research has found that being physically active might be important to improve overall health, as it can help in preventing adverse health outcomes and chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and depression. [1,2] As a result of the economic downturn and recession, which started in the autumn of 2008, many countries started
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 8-week endurance and resistan... more Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 8-week endurance and resistance exercise training on release of brain natriuretic peptide. Materials and Methods: Study population was categorized into 4 groups: Group-1 (n = 6) consisted of sedentary individuals who volunteered to complete 8-weeks of endurance exercise; Group-2 (n=6) consisted of sedentary individuals who volunteered to complete 8-weaks of resistance exercise. Three blood samples [for Terminal pro BNP (NT-Pro-BNP)] were taken before, immediately after exercise and after 8 weeks of exercise training. Results: NT-Pro BNP was significantly increased immediately after endurance exercise [from 37.9 ± 1.4 pg/ml to 52.1 ±1.5 pg/ml; P = 0.002] and was decreased to 23.2 ± 9.3 pg/ml after 8 weeks of endurance exercise [P = 0.013]. On the other hand, NT-Pro BNP showed no significant changes immediately after resistance exercise [from 26.6 ± 4.9 pg/ml to 24.1 ±4.5 pg/ml; P = 0.553]. In contrast, NT-Pro BNP was significantly increased to 39.5 ±1.6 pg/ml after 8 weeks of resistance exercise [P = 0.012]. Conclusion: Endurance exercise training reduces circulating NT-Pro BNP concentration, which is likely a marker of reduced ventricular wall tension and improved myocardial function. In contrast, strength exercise induces significant increase in NT-Pro BNP, which could be partially attributed to myocardial damage.
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